Want to practice yoga or pilates, but don't know the difference? Before deciding on the most appropriate exercise, there are a few things you need to consider. Maybe you want to explore a relatively new exercise, such as practicing yoga or Pilates, but can't decide yet. Your choices will shape your daily routine, so make decisions based on your desired outcome.
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Part 1 of 3: Setting Practice Goals
Step 1. Do you want to recover physically?
Yoga and pilates help you recover physically, for example: for people who have suffered physical injuries, pilates exercises can reduce pain and recover from physical injuries through proven methods. On the other hand, yoga practice provides more benefits by restoring mental and emotional health.
- For physical recovery, yoga may be better than Pilates depending on your needs. An experienced, educated yoga instructor can help you improve your strength and flexibility, choose exercises to suit your abilities, and modify exercises if needed.
- Yoga classes vary widely depending on the purpose of practice, the teacher who trains, and the place to practice. In addition, there are special yoga classes for the elderly, children, Olympic athletes, and people who want to meditate. Unlike yoga, Pilates practice is less varied.
Step 2. Consider whether you want to address a physical problem
Yoga and Pilates exercises can build and strengthen muscles, but Pilates focuses more on building muscle. For weight loss, pilates exercises using a variety of machines make cardiovascular and fitness workouts more intense by improving posture and burning more calories. Yoga practice does not use machines.
Step 3. Decide if you want to practice to improve mental health
Yoga is known to provide various benefits in terms of mental health because it helps calm the sympathetic nerves, reduces stress, and regulates the function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis to balance hormone levels in the body.
Step 4. Consider whether you want to practice to develop the spiritual life
Since thousands of years ago, yoga was developed to explore aspects of spirituality. Meditation is an important aspect of practicing yoga. Yoga and Pilates can harmonize the body and mind, but Pilates does not focus on the mental aspect as in yoga.
On the other hand, yoga can be done without involving the spiritual aspect if it is not needed. For your consideration, there are yoga classes that focus on physical exercise if you want to practice yoga without involving the spiritual aspect
Part 2 of 3: Knowing the Key Differences
Step 1. Look for information on the origins of yoga and pilates
You will find it easier to decide if you do some research on the internet for information about yoga and pilates. Some important information you need to know:
- Yoga began to develop in India around 3000 BC. Using colloquial terms, yoga is defined as part of a broader philosophy and a guide in living life. The benefits of yoga are that it provides a better understanding of oneself and harmonizes mind-body-spirit.
- Pilates was developed in the early 20th century as a way to restore and strengthen the body. Initially, pilates was used to restore the condition of soldiers during World War I, but later on it was also used by dancers to improve their performance when dancing.
Step 2. Consider the goals you want to achieve
Yoga and Pilates have a lot in common, for example in terms of movements and postures to increase strength, flexibility, and harmonize body and mind. Yoga practice aims to control your mind and observe how you feel while increasing your strength and flexibility. Pilates focuses on shaping the body by getting better posture and movement during practice.
Step 3. Know the difference between breathing in yoga and pilates
The breathing techniques used when practicing yoga and Pilates are very different.
- During Pilates practice, breathing is used as a technique to channel energy throughout the body to make the exercise more effective. Concentrating on breathing while practicing Pilates helps you regulate the intake of oxygen into the body and distribute it to the muscles to be more relaxed.
- In yoga, breathing exercises are a technique for relaxation. During the practice of yoga, you must continue to breathe in the right way. To relax muscle groups throughout your body, breathe into areas of your body that are tense or stressed.
Step 4. Consider whether you want to increase your flexibility
One of the main differences between yoga and pilates, the practice of stretching and holding posture in a static position is a central technique in yoga. So, yoga can be used to gradually increase the flexibility of the body and joints. Although it can stretch the body, Pilates training does not focus on increasing flexibility because it is more dynamic.
Step 5. Decide if you want to increase body strength
Pilates focuses on relaxing tense muscles and building muscle strength throughout the body. Unlike yoga, Pilates requires resistance machines so it is more like weight training that is not used in yoga.
Yoga and Pilates both do some postures to strengthen the abdominal muscles. However, compared to yoga, abdominal exercises in Pilates are much more intense and give faster results. It is easier for you to form flat and strong abdominal muscles by practicing Pilates
Step 6. Know the benefits of yoga and pilates in terms of mental health
Because yoga focuses on controlling the mind, it is more beneficial for people with depression or anxiety. In addition, yoga is very effective for curing disease because yoga also focuses on restoring the body, not just training the mind and soul. Calming reflection and meditation are important aspects of yoga practice. Many people start practicing yoga simply because they want to relieve stress.
Part 3 of 3: Doing Both
Step 1. Do pilates exercises at home
Although pilates exercises are not complete at home, you can get an idea of what pilates exercises are like. Start practicing Pilates by following the instructions from YouTube. Download a video for beginners with an instructor guide that teaches the basics of practicing Pilates.
Keep in mind that one aspect that you don't get when you practice Pilates at home is the use of machines
Step 2. Do yoga practice at home
Starting a yoga practice at home is easier because you only need to provide space and free time. You can buy a yoga mat, but you don't have to because you can use a large towel as a base. Search the internet for instructions for basic postures. In addition, there are plenty of videos with practice guide texts so you know what yoga practice is like.
Step 3. Find the nearest practice site
Continue practicing yoga or pilates at home if you don't want to join the class. However, you can follow a full practice of yoga or pilates and get the best benefit from joining a class. Look for the nearest practice site via the internet. Compare the costs and come directly to the practice site for more information.
If you get to a studio to get acquainted with the practice of yoga or pilates, explain to the instructor what goals and benefits you need by starting to practice in class. This method helps you choose the most appropriate class
Step 4. Take yoga and pilates classes so you can choose the best
If you can't decide whether you want to practice yoga or Pilates, do both. Look for classes that offer free practice for beginners. Choose a quality yoga and pilates class and take it several times so you can make a well-informed decision as needed.
